The University of Southampton
×
Filter your search:
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

A Theory of Defensive Skill Biased Innovation and Globalization

A Theory of Defensive Skill Biased Innovation and Globalization
A Theory of Defensive Skill Biased Innovation and Globalization
This paper considers a dynamic model of innovations in which firms can endogenously bias the direction of technological change. Both in a North-North and North-South context, we show that, when globalization triggers an increased threat of technological leapfrogging or imitation, firms tend to respond to that threat by biasing the direction of their innovations towards skilled-labor-intensive technologies.
We show that this process of defensive skill-biased innovations generates an increase in wage inequalities in both regions. We then discuss suggestive empirical evidence of the existence of defensive skill-biased technical change.
709-728
Thoenig, Mathias
854fdd04-6cec-487a-bf2b-377e510e1713
Verdier, Thierry
87c483ea-f473-408f-9776-d0381cab6454
Thoenig, Mathias
854fdd04-6cec-487a-bf2b-377e510e1713
Verdier, Thierry
87c483ea-f473-408f-9776-d0381cab6454

Thoenig, Mathias and Verdier, Thierry (2003) A Theory of Defensive Skill Biased Innovation and Globalization. American Economic Review, 93 (3), 709-728. (doi:10.1257/000282803322157052).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This paper considers a dynamic model of innovations in which firms can endogenously bias the direction of technological change. Both in a North-North and North-South context, we show that, when globalization triggers an increased threat of technological leapfrogging or imitation, firms tend to respond to that threat by biasing the direction of their innovations towards skilled-labor-intensive technologies.
We show that this process of defensive skill-biased innovations generates an increase in wage inequalities in both regions. We then discuss suggestive empirical evidence of the existence of defensive skill-biased technical change.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: 2003

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 33477
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/33477
DOI: doi:10.1257/000282803322157052
PURE UUID: 7a5cabf2-2c5a-423b-a552-bbe760a769ca

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 16 May 2006
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 07:44

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: Mathias Thoenig
Author: Thierry Verdier

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Library staff additional information
Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×